Backpacker (magazine)

Backpacker is an American science and lifestyle magazine publication that features information on wilderness hiking and adventure. It has been published since 1973. Backpacker magazine is currently published by Pocket Outdoor Media and is based in Boulder, Colorado.[2] The magazine moved from Emmaus, Pennsylvania to Boulder in August 2007.

Backpacker
CategoriesHiking, Science, Lifestyle
Total circulation
(2013)		353,799 (2013) [1]
FounderWilliam Kemsley
Year founded1973
CompanyActive Interest Media
CountryUSA
Based inBoulder, Colorado
LanguageEnglish
Websitebackpacker.com
ISSN0277-867X

History

The first issue of Backpacker appeared in the spring of 1973. The first editor's note written by William Kemsley, the founding editor, explains, "It took us three years to put together the first issue of Backpacker. In that time, we debated some serious questions among ourselves." The note describes the founding editors' worries that America in the early 1970s did not contain a backpacking community large enough to support a magazine. It also expresses Kemsley's goal to support the magazine primarily through subscriptions rather than advertising.

The Winter/Spring 2007 issue of the journal Appalachia includes an essay by Kemsley in which he describes how he developed the idea to create a magazine about backpacking. The article, titled "How the 1970s Backpacking Boom Burst Upon Us," explains several critical moments that prove to Kemlsey that an audience could exist for such a magazine.

Backpacker was owned first by Kemsley, who sold it to Ziff Davis in 1980, which sold it to CBS Publishing. In the late 1980s, it was bought by Rodale Press, which also publishes Men's Health, Bicycling, Runner's World, and others. In May 2007, Rodale sold Backpacker to Active Interest Media and the magazine moved to Boulder, Colorado in August 2007.

Content

Backpacker goes beyond backpacking and hiking, featuring the latest in a wide variety of outdoor sports, including rock climbing, mountain biking, trail running, cycling, fly fishing and more.[3] In each issue of Backpacker, readers will find outdoor gear reviews, wilderness and survival tips, trip reports, coverage of specific destinations and even strength and conditioning advice.[4]

Current status

2020 Backpacker publishes six issues per year.

On May 17, 2007 Active Interest Media, an El Segundo, CA-based magazine publisher, announced that it would buy Backpacker magazine from Rodale Press. A May 10 article in the New York Post reported a sale price of $14.5 million.[5] Active Interest Media, which also publishes Yoga Journal and American Cowboy, moved Backpacker to Boulder, CO in the summer of 2007, and Jonathan Dorn was editor-in-chief. In 2013 Dennis Lewon became Editor-in-Chief.

Backpacker publishes nine issues per year, which includes an annual gear guide in April. Combined issues are published for December–January, February–March, and July–August. The magazine is divided into the service-centric Basecamp section (which won a National Magazine Award for 2005), a feature well, a gear review section, and concludes with maps of local trails corresponding to six regional editions. Every April Backpacker presents its "Editors Choice" awards to highlight the best gear of the year.

Starting in 2004 Backpacker began publishing regional editions of the magazine that include map cards for local trails. The regional concept developed from survey results that showed the magazine's readers were interested in hikes near where they lived. It discontinued these map cards in the April 2008 as part of their effort to become a 100% carbon neutral magazine. The regional sections are now on-line. An all digital version of the magazine was also made available.

In November 2006 Backpacker began posting podcasts and videos on its website to complement the content that appears in the magazine issues. Additional videos appear on Backpacker's YouTube channel.

In April 2007 Backpacker received its third National Magazine Award nomination in two years, this time in the single-topic issue category for its October 2006 "Survival" issue. National Magazine Awards are presented each May by the American Society of Magazine Editors, and are considered the magazine industry's highest editorial honor. Also in 2006 Backpacker received the MIN Best of the Web award in the Uses of Interactivity category for the backpacker.com/hikes website.

In May 2008 Backpacker won a first-ever National Magazine Award for "General Excellence" in the circulation category, 250,000 to 500,000. To win this honor, Backpacker beat national magazines like Cookie, New York, Wondertime, and W.[6]

Backpacker is also used as part of the American Hiking Society's membership package.

Backpacker's primary competition in the magazine world includes Outside and Men's Journal.

gollark: #karens-corner-of-coronavirus-tales maybe?
gollark: Given the US government's ability to mess up everything it touches, I don't think government-paid government-run healthcare would be the best of ideas. But the insurance system is also quite terrible. There's probably an alternative possibly-better way.
gollark: You can't easily go around controlling spread neatly to just people who accept a 0.5% or whatever risk of death (which is still quite bad).
gollark: That doesn't, in itself, make it bad. It's bad because you're, well, killing someone.
gollark: It's better than using guesswork to decide.

References
  1. "Alliance for Audited Media Snapshot Report". Alliance for Audited Media. June 30, 2013. Archived from the original on January 23, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  2. "Backpacker". Active Interest Media. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  3. "Backpacker". Active Interest Media. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  4. "Backpacker Magazine". Sports & Recreation Magazines. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  5. Kelly, Keith (May 10, 2007). "RODALE UNLOADING BACKPACKER". New York Post. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved July 18, 2009.
  6. "2009 National Magazine Awards Winners and Finalists". Magazine Publishers of America. Archived from the original on July 28, 2008. Retrieved July 18, 2009.
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